Turkey fires thousands of civil servants ahead of Erdogan's swearing

Under the decree, published on the Official Gazette early on Sunday, 18,632 civil servants, including almost 9,000 police officers, 6,000 members of the military and hundreds of teachers and academics were sacked.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 7 that restrictions imposed on the passports of 181,500 people in the wake of the July 2016 coup attempt will be lifted within a few days.

Sunday's decree also banned 12 civil-society groups, three newspapers and a television broadcaster.

Critics say Mr Erdogan is using the extra powers permitted under emergency rule to target opponents, while human rights defenders have said the purges are arbitrary.

The Turkish government issued the latest emergency decree No: 701 earlier on Sunday amid days of expectations after Prime Minister Binali Yildirimsignaled a large wave of dismissals on Friday.

Erdogan on Monday will be sworn in as president after his outright victory in June 24 elections under a new executive presidency, following that there will be a lavish ceremony and then the new cabinet will be announced.

Turkish authorities have detained tens of thousands of people, including civil servants, journalists, and teachers in a crackdown on alleged Gulen supporters that followed the coup.

In total, 148 workers who had been previously sacked were reinstated to their positions.

While majority were detained for a long period of time, nearly half of them were charged for having alleged links to exiled Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom the government accused of being the architect behind the coup.

In the western coastal province of Izmir, arrest warrants were issued for 75 soldiers, of whom 59 were now serving, Anadolu said, adding that raids were still under way.

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